Laminated fabric



May l0, 1938. G. sEDDoN 2,116,984

LAMINATD FABRIC Filed Nov. '7, 1934 INVENTOR. GRAHAM SEDDON n ATTORNEY.

Patented May 1o, 193s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

rihis invention relates to the making of a reinforced fabric, orlaminated cloth, and more particularly it relates to an improved methodof combining and bonding together the various plies or webs whichconstitute the composite cloth. lit also relates to an article ofmanufacture which consists of a laminated or compound interstitial clothhaving improved characteristics of appearance of certain physicalstability and workability, and also of stability with regard to certainother qualities. p

This material may be said to be in the nature of a semi-finishedproduct, inasmuch as it is usually passed on to other finishingindustries where it goes into the manufacture of various individualarticles for human needs, comfort or luxury.

One branch of a finishing industry may consume th-e material here underconsideration for instance in the place of leather or its pliablesubstitutes, and largely so with a view to attractive surface appearanceand surface characteras a desideratum. So, one problem has been toproduce a material or composite cloth that would be accepted by thefinishing industries on the merits of its flawless or otherwisedesirable surface appearance and to ydevise a production method thatwould not mar or impair. a perhaps sensitive cloth surface which may beof a fancy or-other Wise impressive nature appealing to the eye andtouch.

More specifically, this material goes into the making of the uppers o-fshoes, or slippers, or it may also be found as an integral part ofpocket books or the like. In the process of manufacturing thesearticles, the material must undergo the test and strain of moulding,stitching, cutting, turning. cement-.ing and the like, as it, passesthrough various operating and shaping steps, to all of which thematerial should yield readily, emerging therefrom with as far aspossible an unchanged surface appearance and with a maximum ofdurability as in kcompetition with other perhaps tougher materials. So,another problem is to supply the finishing industry with a compositematerial which is satisfactory as to its strength. body and othermechanicaland physicnl qualities. and which has what may be brieflycalled the proper Workability aside from attractive appearance. I,

In order to possess what may -be called the bo'dy q1alii.y,`the finishedmaterial shouldA have a certain desired degree of pliability, but not toa de` grec where the material becomes lifeless, or altogethernon-springy, `or not sufficiently ,self-sustaining to maintain a'desiredshape into which it (Cl. 15k-46) has been formed. Such body quality alsoiniproves the general workability of the material in the steps to whichit is subjected by the finishing industry.

Still another aspect is what may be called the stability of thematerial. Stability requires that the bond between the layers should beof uniform character throughout, that the bond should be reliable undermany conditions and not weaken, and that the character of the materialshould not change with time through storage or Wear, but retain thequalities acquired in the process of combining the webs. stabilizingthen also lmeans that the characteristics of the adhesive substanceforming part of the compound cloth are being made more or less permanentby treatment according to the method of this invention.

A material for this purpose may be typified as a combination of aface-or outer cloth such as velvet, silk, satin, or other fancy orprinted fabrics (for surface character and eye appeal), with areinforcement or backing cloth of a rougher utilitarian type to give itthe necessary body and strength, the two webs of cloth being usuallyheld or tacked together by an interposed or intermediate layer of somesuitable adhesive.

Much of the character, quality, and appearance of the product, and muchof its Workability depend upon the manner and thoroughness in which theadhesion is established, and last but not least upon the character ofthe substance or i adhesive used.

In order to establish as firm an adhesion as possible and feasiblebetween the respective layers it is customary to apply the adhesive tothe respective surfaces and then to subject the media involved in vthiscombination to 'a considerable mechanical pressure or compression asbythe use of pressure rollers or calendars or the like, in order tomechanically forcethe respective cloth elements into as intimate acontact as possible with the interposed adhesive. Similarly there may befound to be added to the-reinforcements or backing cloth ,an innerfinishing lining. The resulting product then is triple ply cloth, whosefabric laminations are brought together under pressure, and heldtogether by way of interposed layers of an adhesive such as, rubbercompound, gutta-percha, or others. Also 'the process oi.' laminationaccording to prior practice involves the steps of first sizing orcoating the respective individual webs on one side, and thereaftercombining them inra separate step into a compound material. v

The present method of laminating fabrics is -one case and heat andpressure in the other.

to: coat the back of each fabric with an adhesive and ply the two piecestogether with pressure in It evidently means that due to this pressureor heat and pressure the surface appearance of the face of the cloth isnot improved, but has to be accepted as the best that can be done underpresent methods.

` step may cause in the surface appearance or texture of the cloth orwhatever its results might be with regard to pliability, moldability, orgeneral workability, and durability and stability of the end-product.

That is to say, antagonizing factors are at play: Where the pressuretreatment has been too mild the effective strength of adhesion may proveto be altogetherv or regionally insumcient or spotty, and notsubstantial enough to endure the further treatment steps of thefinishing industry. On the other hand a higher degree of pressureapplied in order to enforce adequate and uniform adhesion may impair thesurface vand appearance, and especially where the face cloth is of amore sensitive character, aifect the natural pliability and moldabilityand other desirable qualities.

lConsequently the objects of the invention are to devise a method ofproducing composite cloth, by which there will be effected asatisfactory and superior. bond of well controlled characteristicsbetween the layers; to maintain the face of the cloth in flawlesscondition so that a greater range of more or less sensitive face clothsmay be used; a method which will yieldl a product superior inpliability, moldability, durability, body characteristics and generalworkability, to be acceptable and welcome to the finishing industry fora possibly greater field and variety of uses.`

Another object is to simplify certain steps ordinarily necessary for thepreparing and combining of the individual webs, and thereby to eifect asaving of the total time required for com- .pounding the cloth.`

Another object is to produce an article of manufacture or compound clothmaterial of the character and 'for the purpose indicated, whichsubstantially consists of an outer face layer and an inner lining, bothheld or bonded together by an adhesive substance which in turn ispermeated and reinforced by the threads of a third or intermediate layerof cloth, in other words, an article of manufacture or material in whichthe bonding substance or adhesive' is forced through the innerreinforcing cloth in such a manner that it is converted or stabilizedmore or less into a spongified or vesicular mass, for itis importantthat such a combined cloth shall be perreversing the technologicalrelationship and substantially causing an interposed adhesive or bondingsubstance to expand, subdivide, 'and penetrate into the texture of thecloth, in a -manner which prgvides substantial continuity of transitionbetween the webs of cloth, so that it may be said that one element growsinto the other.

To this end an assembly of alternating layers of interstitial cloth anda bonding substance is subjected to a suitable degree of heat in orderto cause the substance to expand or diffuse deeper into the adjoiningsurfaces or loose fibers of the cloth. This step is to be carried outwithout the use of any appreciable pressure other than is necessary inorder to sustain a required contact relationship of the layers.

More specifically this end is attained by employing a bonding substancewhich may be in the nature of a suitable initially viscous rubberemulsion for instance latex. Heat acting upon this emulsion tends todrive off liquid therefrom, and thereby to break up the gummyconsistency of the emulsion allowing it to expand, subdivide, andpenetrate beyond and into the surface of the cloth and even to encloseindividual threads of the Weave, eventually converting or stabilizing`the initially viscousbonding substance or adi hesive more or less into aspongied mass. The solids in the fluid adhesive are coagulated oragglomerated after application of the adhesive coating to the web bymeans of heat produced vaporization, thus forming the solids while inplace in, on and around the carrying web into a stabilized, spongifiedmass of resilient bonds. The tendency of this bonding mass is to form ina multitude of discontinuous but contiguous bonds of more or lessindependent minute sponges, rather than in a sheet or continuousadhesive layer. Intimate contact and relative pervasion of the cloth isthuseffected without the attempt 'to mechanically force the media intoor onto each other. The bond thus effected may be called a merging orpermeation of materials into each other andthe bonding material isstabilized or otherwise has its characteristics made substantiallypermanent.

Separate features of this invention are found to reside in the step ofpreparatory treatment or `uct as an article of manufacture thusproduced.

Y According to one feature, a continuously feeding intermediate web isconditioned with a suitable substance for interacting adhesion with theouter webs and thus in fact lserves as a carrier medium for the bondingsubstance which is to be placed between the two louter layers of cloth.Consequently, the so conditioned web is drawn into simultaneous contactwith the outer webs such as the outer or face covering and the lining.

Another feature adds the subsequent heating step designed to effect theactual bonding o f the preconditioned webs. The attendant evapora'- tionof entrained or emulsied water and the expansion, diffusion, or poroussubdivision of the adhesive substance causes the intermediate or carrierweb to become more or less completely permeated, while in turn by thesame token other outer strata of the substance are urged into intimatebond with the outer or exposed layers or sheets. In performing thisstep. sections of the cloth or other material are alternately heated'from each side in order to allow liberated and expanding vapors toescape through the opposite side, and concomitantly to effect thoroughbonding and promote effective mutual lnterlacing of the spines or fibersof the cloth with the other media involved. This establishes aninterlacing bondage relative to and between the outer webs.

According to another feature the web assembly is bent or curved inalternate directions as it passes through each progressive stage of theheating or bonding step.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention a suitable arrangementconducts the webs from their individual sources such as reels intosuitable" composite contact relationship whereupon the assembled clothis drawn in a zigzagging or rather meandering path over a staggeringsequence or battery of heated bodies, rollers, or drums which arearranged in alternation so as to Contact consecutively the inner and theouter face respectively of the composite web. The preferred arrangementof the heating rollers is such that instantaneously a substantialsection of the web assembly is placed into heating contact with theroller circumference, to make for effective heating, evaporating, andstabilization of the inter-acting bond. I

In feeding the individual cloth elements to the i assembly rollers, thetwo outer strands or layers are drawn each directly from an individualreel, While the intermediate or carrier cloth after leaving its storagereel is guided through a preferably heated bath of a suitable adhesiveor emulsion in which it is enveloped in a layer which subsequently maybe controlled as to thickness by suitable doctor means. These threetraveling webs converge upon a calender battery of heating rollers forfinal bonding.

The material or article obtained in this manner is characterized by thetwo exposed layers ofA cloth bonded together by an intermediate layer ofreinforced adhesive substance. That is to say the bonding substance ispermeated and reinforced by the threads of the third or intermediate orcarrier cloth and interlaced with. the fibers thereof. The respectivezones or layers or components ofthe composite material are not denedagainst each other merely by straight surface contact as betweenadhesive substance and cloth, but fairly merge into each other by Way ofgradual transition or diffusion. With the nap of the carrier cloth madeeffective to promote such bond in the heating and evaporation step, theadhesive is found to be stabilized into a spongified mass which isvesicular or has therein a multiplicity of voids or vesicles, thusconferring upon the finished material its particular desiredcharacteristics.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich with the foregoing will be set forth in the following description.In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identifiedby specic names for convenience, but they are intended to be as genericin their application to similar parts as the art will permit. In theaccompanying drawing there has been illustrated the best embodiment ofthe invention known to me, but such embodiment is to be regarded astypical only of many possible embodiments, and the invention is not tobe limited thereto.

The novel features that I consider characteristie of my invention areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself. however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood from the following description of a specificembodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing inwhich in particular it l should be understood that the disclosure hereinof a continuous method of operation as with continuously feeding websdoes not exclude an intermittent or batchwise method of operation fromthe scope of protection.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically the general arrangement ofreels, rollers, and calenders, embodying the steps of conditioning,combining, and heat-treating the component Webs of material. Fig. 2 is amagnified diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the composite clothproduced according to this invention. Fig. 3 is aperspective view toillustrate more clearly the preferred triple ply organization vof thecomposite material produced.

The method of this invention is preferably carried out in a webcombining apparatus to which component webs may be continuously fed.Such apparatus arrangement is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1. and inits essential parts `it may be said to include a web conditioning andassembly section, and a section for heat treating and bonding the webassembly.

The component webs which constitute the composite material, arerepresented by a top strand I0 stored upon a reel II, this being forinstance the strand which serves as a face' or top layer,

which may be lof some fancy design. A similar reel I2 carries the bottomply or lining I3. A supply of intermediate web Il is derived from a reelI5, and this ply Il is what may herein be called the carrier webinasmuch as it is to carry an adhesive or bonding substance in betweenthe outer webs Ill and I3. The adhesive used has as its essentialcharacteristics a fluid mass containing solids therein which are capableof coagulation, agglomeration or stabilization upon having a major partof the liquid removed from association therewith, with a substantialportion of said solids having resilient properties. The intermediate webI4 is a fabric of preferably some utilitarian type for instance such asis known as cotton sheeting, drill, twill, duck, or the like.

An arrangement of certain guide and feed rollers conducts the threecomponent Webs to a point of assembly. That is to say that preferablyall three webs converge as between a pair of feed rollers I 6, I'I, bywhich they are brought into contact or assembled relationship prior toenterlng the section 'in which the web assembly is subjected to heattreatment, bonding or stabilization. The top web I0 is shown to reachthe assembly rollers I6, I1, directly from its reel II, while the bottomweb I3 may feed from its reel I2 over a guide roller I8 to the point ofweb convergence.

The intermediate web I4 which is to serve as a carrier web for theadhesive substance leaves its supply reel I5 in order to pass through abath of a suitable fluid or viscous, or emulsified substance I9 whichfills a container 20 and where the web is detained in positive andadequate submergence, for instance, through the submerged guideV rollers22. It is in this bath of adhesive that the intermediate web isconditioned for its subsequent function to carry adhesive between theouter webs, and to potentially form an interacting bonding element ormultitude of such elements-for the outer webs.

After its emergence from the bath the intermediate web II passes throughor over a doctor device which may be in the form of a pair of wringingor pressure rollers 23, 24, which operate to reduce the amount ofadhesive carried by or enveloping the web I4 to a desired thickness andevenness, adapting the same to the subsequent heat treatment orbond-forming step.

Subsequently, the heat treating section of the apparatus arrangementreceives the conditioned web assembly designated by the numeral 25 fromthe assembly rollers I6, I1. This section of the apparatus arrangementis diagrammatically indicated by a calender battery which includes theheated rollers or drums 26. These heated rollers 0r drums are shown tobe arranged upwardly from the assembly section and in a closelystaggered sequence so that the composite web 25 is forced to travel ina; meandering path as each bend of the composite strand 25 appears to be stretched to hug a part of the circumference of each heating drum orroller 26. Obviously, in this manner the instantaneous area of sectionsor zones of the composite strand being heated, is kept relatively largeas compared with the intervening unheated'section or zones. Moreover, itis clear from the disclosure that, as the strand of material progressesover the heating drums 26 the cloth is alternately flexed and heated inopposite directions with vapors being liberated and driven oif from theadhesive emulsion for bringing about coagulation and stabilization ofthe solids of said emulsion.

Fig. 2 illustrates the interacting character 0f the bondage which iseffected between the component webs. This shows in a theoretical way themagnied cross-section of a triple ply material produced according to themethod of this invention. Care has been taken to show in this magnifiedview the individual threads of the fabric as they are interlaced andbonded with and pervaded by the vesicular and stabilized rubber solidswhich serve as an adhesive bonding material.

'Ihe numerals 28 and 29 indicate the warp and weft of the upper web, 30and 3I the thread elements of the bottom web, while 32 and 33 designatethe thread elements of the interposed or carrier web upon which are alsoshown spine-like stray fibers 34 which constitute the fuzzy surface ofthe cloth. Y

The section in the lefthand portion o f Fig. 2 shows transverse threadsin full view; also shows the interlacing fibers while the righthandDortion shows the transverse thread in dotted lines and merely thelongitudinal threads in cross-section, giving, however, a clearer ideaof the wat7 in which a network of vesicular adhesive bonds pervades the,intermediate web as well as interlacing with the fibers and with theouter plies of the material. It also indicates that individual threadsof adjoining webs do not lie bare against one another but are partly orsubstantially enveloped in the spongii'led bonds, in other words, thatthere is a more natural diffusing, interlacing,and mutual pervasion ofelements rather than an enforced surface contact.

Fig. 3 is a perspective to illustrate the fact that a preferred clothcombination includes an untreated top ply 35, an untreated bottom ply orlining 36, and an adhesive-conditioned intermediate ply 31.

With the aid of an apparatus arrangement substantially as shown, themethod of this invention is practiced by first drawing feed supplies ofcomponent webs I0, I3 and I4 from their respective reels II, I2 and I5.'I'hen the webs are spongied bonding substance.

prepared for interacting adherence in an adhesive-conditioning step asthe intermediate web I4 passes over submerged guide rollers 22 througha. suitable bath of fluid adhesive I9 and then between wringing rollers23 and 24 to doctor up the layer of adhesive which envelops the webreducing4 that layer if necessary to a required thickness and evenness.The emerging web I4 then carries its layer of adhesive substance ontoand .between the outer webs I0 and I3 as all three webs converge uponand between the assembly and feed rollers I6 and I1 which may beadjusted to bring the webs into a desirable contact relationship withoutexerting an excessive or undesirable compression upon the web assembly.The web assembly identified by the numeral 25 now progresses through anumber of special alternating heating phases as it passes on to thefirst rotary heating drum 26 or rst heating phase of a battery where itis flexed in one direction while heating contact with the top web IUliberates and drives off vapors from the adhesive substance, as well asproducing the coagulation and stabilization of the solid components ofthe adhesive into the bonds made use of by this invention.

Due to the close staggering arrangement of the heating drums little timeis lost until the strand leaving the circumference of the first drumtangentially reaches the next drum 26 where again it hugs a portion ofthe heating surface, however, bending in an opposite direction and alsoreceiving its heat from an opposite direction, that is to say this timefrom the side of the lining web I3. A series of-similar alternatingheating phases may follow as indicated by a desirable number ofadditional heating drums 26, after which a nished and stabilized pliablecomposite strand may leave the apparatus for storage or immediate use.

The superiority of the bondage eiIected according to the present methodover materials heretofore manufactured, may be demonstrated in an effortto separate an outer ply from the composite or laminated fabric. As oneply is pulled or torn oi a substantial homogeneous resistance is feltwhich is explained by the fact that each innitesimally small portion orelement or pore of the cloth area is held individually tacked down bysome correspondingly sized elemental portion or individual lbond of theadhesive or That is to say, instead of considering this problem ofbonding as one which aims to cause a general or average adhesive surfaceeffect between two Webs as by the older compression method and which mayinvolve regional insuiciencies, the present method seeks to establish ahigher standard and evenly satisfactory and well controlled grade ofbondage with respect to each infxnitesimally small or diierentialbonding element of the total area. Consequently, the total of theseelemental bonding elements raises the average quality of the bond overthe area as a whole.- Therefore, a relatively stronger resistance willbe offered to separation of one ply from others of my bonded fabric,inasmuch as the tension ofthe multitude of small bonding elements mustbe progressively overcome in an initial stretching and final breakage ofone ply from the laminated fabric, and at the same time, a combinedsheet is realized which can breathe in all respects like leather becauseof its vesicular construction.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a pliable laminated cloth comprising aface cloth easily rendered unsightly, a back cloth, a reinforcingintermediate layer, and an integral porous mass of a stabilizedrubber-bearing substance permeating and encasing the intermediate layer,existing as a direct bond through the intermediate layer between theface and back cloths under conditions whereby said face and back clothsare not impregnated or penetrated by the rubber-bearing bond to beotherwise marred thereby.

2. As an article of manufacture, a stiffened pliable composite cloth,comprising a face cloth, a back cloth, an intermediate reinforcing layerof fabric, and a stabilized vesicular bonding mass of rubber-bearingsubstance carrying and traversing said intermediate layer extendingbetween the face and back cloths and through the intermediate layerexisting as a direct unitary bond between the face and back cloths byvirtue of being an integral porous mass attaching itself .in amultiplicity of points to the inner side of the face and back clothswithout impregnating or showing through the face and back cloths,thus

providing a combined and rubber-reinforced 1'0 cloth through the outersurface of which no rubber appears.

GRAHAM SEDDON.

